To Call Upon A Magic Wish (Shooting Star, Don't Fail Me Now)
by DashFnanz
Summary: Draco Malfoy stood at the edge of the Astronomy tower, gazing out at the open view. What he was about to do felt even scarier than anything he had ever done. However, with the help of a trusty shooting star, his wish may just come true. Post-war, implied Eighth year setting.


**Hey guys, I'm back! This one's for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) forum - the January Assignment to be specific. I know, I cut it pretty close this time!**

**Assignment #2: Astronomy (Objects of Interest)**

**Task #3: Stars: Write about a 'wish upon a star' coming true.**

**This is also written for the January Writing Club of the same forum. The prompts will be listed at the end of the work. **

**Disclaimer: J.K Rowling is a goddess and I can never compare. So, she keeps the characters, the places and her own created world, while I borrow them all every now and then like the pathetic human I am. The plot is all mine though!**

**Warnings: m/m slash, mild language.**

**Word count: 2421 words**

**Have fun reading!**

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Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy stood at the edge of the Astronomy tower, gazing out at the open view. He took in the sparkling scene in front of him. The starry sky seemed like endless, looking particularly spectacular on that warm, summer night.

Draco felt so small, standing there with the world spread out before him. So small, but yet so powerful.

He needed all the courage that he could get tonight. Surprisingly, what he was about to do felt even scarier than anything he had ever done, and he had been through some pretty crazy things in his young life, especially in the past few tumultuous years.

As he was observing the constellations, deep in thought, he spotted a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. Quick enough to feel whiplash, he turned his head towards the source. What he saw stopped his mind in its tracks.

A shooting star.

His mind settled. "I wish that tonight goes well," he whispered. "I just want him to be mine."

Draco didn't know how long he stood there, eyes glued to the sky, when he heard a slight rustle somewhere behind him. His shoulders stiffened, his body immediately on alert. Quick as a flash, he hurried to the entrance and crouched down in the shadows. The war had made him paranoid, but sometimes it paid to be cautious.

There were a few more rustles and a single thump. The sounds, soft as they were, came steadily closer. Draco tensed.

He saw a dark shadow - an outline of a person - coming up the stairs. Just as the mystery person reached the top step, there was a familiar high pitched shriek and the figure tripped over the last step, landing face-down, sprawled over the stone floor with a mighty thump.

Curly black hair bounced all over the place as the boy clumsily got up, cursing softly and muttering about the 'stupid overdramatic prick who made him come up here at all hours of the night.'

Draco snickered. The annoyed boy in front of him was so far from the threat he had imagined. The clumsy entrance was so on spot for the Gryffindor, that Draco couldn't help finding it funny.

Harry Potter glared at him, an adorably grouchy expression on his pale face. His green eyes looked particularly vibrant, pale skin glowing in the moonlight.

Draco instantly shut up.

"You think this is funny?" He asked, lips shaping into a slight pout.

"Moderately," Draco replied, a hint of a smile showing on his face.

"Of course you do," Harry muttered, crossing his arms and walking towards the edge of the tower. He leaned his arms on the ledge and looked up at the sky. His expression softened, replaced by the awestruck look that always looked so right on his face.

Draco regained his composure, and stalked after him. He stopped a few paces away from the Gryffindor.

"You're here early," Draco said, his tone almost accusatory. "You are never early."

"Am I? I didn't notice," was the innocuous response. "Does it matter though? You're here too."

At any other time, Draco would have pursued that line of questioning. But tonight, he was too nervous to focus on anything other than what he had to say.

Draco took a deep breath.

"So…. I asked you to come here tonight for a reason."

"Did you now?"

"Yes - yes I wanted to talk about something important."

"I was wondering what this was about."

"Potter! You're not making this easy."

Harry sighed and turned around to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he said contritely. "It's just that, I'm nervous too."

"You are? Why would you be nervous?" The incredulity in Draco's voice couldn't be mistaken.

Draco was confused. He hadn't yet revealed anything about the topic of this conversation; he had just sent Harry a simple note with a place and time. What reason could the other boy have for being so anxious?

Harry swallowed lightly.

"Because - because you're _you _and I'm _me_, and -"

Harry seemed to be gearing up for another of his familiar rambles.

"Look, Draco, we're friends, right? We've had a lot of important conversations this past year, but none of them have ever been as secretive and private and well, as _planned _as this one here, and it's not that hard to figure out what it means. Well no, actually, I don't know what it means, hence my conundrum, but I know that it means _something_. It's Hermione's 'word of the day', by the way, _conundrum_, but you um, knew that already, didn't you? Ugh, no, focus Harry. Spit it out already!"

Harry's rambling rapidly dissolved into vague muttering. He shook his head abruptly, and started up again, more clearly this time.

"So, we've been friends for a year now, Draco - really close ones too. But we've hated each other's guts for so much longer; and I can still clearly remember all those times we were particularly horrible to each other. Sometimes it feels so easy to fall back to those days."

"I never hated you."

Draco was himself surprised by what slipped out of his mouth. It was unlike him to lose composure, to blurt out anything the way he just did. But something about the way the boy in front of him uttered those damning words tore at his heart.

Harry's eyes widened. "You didn't?"

"No, I did not. I honestly thought I did, at first. I did not live under that assumption for long though, I assure you."

"I never hated you either." He confessed. "I couldn't bring myself to hate you; even knowing what I did back then."

Draco got defensive. "And what did you know back then, exactly? That I was a no-good, evil Death-Eater?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "Not that!"

He took a deep breath. His next whisper carried over the air hauntingly, the words mocking Draco.

"All I knew, was that you were on a side that was not mine. That you were on the side that wanted me dead."

Harry's pleading green eyes met Draco's stunned gaze.

He continued on with a trembling voice, "I just - I don't want all our hard work ruined with this one conversation. I can't lose you, Draco. I don't want to go back to where we were. I can't lose you - not now, not when I -"

Harry choked off his speech, panic apparent in his eyes. For those few seconds, he looked not unlike a trapped animal.

Draco just stared back, trying to piece together the words he had heard with the words left unsaid.

Harry's expression unfroze. His face left no trace of emotion. Draco couldn't help thinking that the blank expression looked odd on his features. Harry was always the one who wore his heart on his sleeve.

Harry turned away from Draco's piercing gaze and rested his hands back on the ledge, eyes on the sky above him.

"You called me here for a reason," he stated matter-of-factly. His voice was firm, but wobbled at the end of his statement. He was clearly trying to regain his composure.

Draco didn't respond. He let the silence linger in the air for a few more minutes.

All around him, the stars seemed to twinkle in encouragement. He walked towards the Gryffindor, placing his hands on the ledge. He stood there for a while, observing their celestial beauty, his arms resting alongside Harry's.

While he gathered his thoughts, and screwed up his courage, his chant echoed in the depths of his mind like a prayer. "Shooting star, don't fail me now. You know what I need."

When he felt he was ready, he spoke up quietly.

"Harry."

He heard Harry's sharp intake of breath next to him. He knew why; Draco had never ever, to this day, called him by his name. It was always Potter - never Harry. It was time to change that now.

"Harry," he said again.

Harry turned his head towards him. In the direct moonlight, his features looked even softer and even more ethereal than it did before.

"We are friends now, yes?"

Harry just nodded. He seemed to be waiting for an explosion.

"And you like being friends with me?"

Another nod.

"I don't."

Time seemed to stop.

"Not when it has the potential to be so much more."

It took a while to sink in. Harry was still in shock from his previous statement. But when it did, Harry seemed to glow. His face lit up, as if someone had re-lit a flame that had long burned out.

Harry whispered hesitantly, still not wanting to believe what he had just heard. "You want us to be more?"

Draco let his relief show in the tiniest smile. "Only if you want to."

""YES!" Harry shrieked loudly. He clapped his hands over his mouth immediately, heat rising in his cheeks.

Harry tore his hands away quickly, his blush deepening. He cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. "Um, I mean, if I must."

Draco's smile widened a bit more.

"Only if you are sure, Harry. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

Harry slapped his arm playfully, a sheepish but happy grin taking over his features.

"Don't tease, Draco. You know I'd say yes in a heartbeat!"

"Would you now?"

Harry's grin softened to a smile. Against the moonlight, he was the most beautiful being Draco had ever seen.

"Yes."

Draco finally let himself smile properly.

Smiling never did suit his own self as well as it did Harry's. Granted, for him, Harry's smile was always more beautiful than anyone else's. But he knew that his smile was not one of his best features and so, made it a point not to show it off at all. After all, _a Malfoy always looks his best_.

But now, with Harry, with the glowing stars forming the perfect backdrop for the most perfect moment in his life so far - letting his guard down seemed so natural. All the wealth in the world couldn't bring him the happiness he felt in that moment.

So he smiled - he smiled with his whole heart, and didn't care whether Harry would find it as repulsive as he did. Harry didn't, if the way he was smiling back so fondly was any indication.

They kept on silently grinning at each other for a long time. Neither of them wanted to break the silence just yet. It should have been awkward, embarrassing really - but it wasn't.

Finally, with a bashful smile, Harry spoke up.

"So, um, are we - uh, boyfriends, now?"

Draco couldn't help himself. He playfully sneered back. "Potter, we are not using that infernal word for ourselves. How plebeian! No, you are my _paramour_, and I am yours."

Harry laughed. "So we're together then."

Draco replied, "Of course we are! I didn't go through all that for nothing."

"That's good." Harry came in for a hug. Draco hugged back tightly.

"You know I'm still gonna call you my boyfriend, right? Murdering the French language is not part of my wish list."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I know you will, Potter."

They stayed like that for what felt like forever, hugging each other like their lives depended on it. Harry sighed softly, and turned his head to look at the stars.

"I was beginning to think wishing on stars was just for babies and crazy people."

Harry whispered it softly - so softly that Draco realized it was not meant for his ears.

"What do you mean?" He asked, hardly believing what he had just heard.

Harry looked up, startled. "Nothing," he muttered. "I said nothing."

"Yes, you did. You said you wished on a star."

"Are you sure I said that?"

"Potter! What aren't you telling me?"

"Okay fine, maybe I did. Can you blame me for being desperate? I was so confused about everything, and Ron always said that shooting stars were like magic wishes waiting to be called upon, so when I saw one, I did."

Draco was surprised. "You saw the shooting star tonight?"

The surprise on Harry's face matched his own. "Tonight! No, no, I saw it two months ago! Right here in fact. I've been waiting for that wishing magic to work for two months."

Two months. He was waiting for Draco to ask him the question for two whole months.

Draco pushed aside this stray thought and focused on another part of his admittance.

"You saw it up here? What were you doing here?"

Harry sighed again. "Just looking for some peace and quiet. You know what some nights can be like."

Draco put an arm around his shoulders in comfort. He knew all about Harry's nightmares. He had them too sometimes. Among the many things that bonded them together after the war, this was the one thing that sealed their connection.

Draco spoke up. "I did too. Tonight. Just before you came up here." He knew that Harry would understand what he meant.

"Huh," was the Gryfindor's only reply.

Draco looked at the stars. "Poetic justice," he murmured.

Harry looked at him blankly. His questioning gaze bore into the side of Draco's blond head till he turned back around.

"Poetic justice," Draco reiterated. "An ironic twist of fate related to one's own action."

Another blank look.

He explained further. "You and I both wished on a star right here. Our wishes, the same wish in fact, came true right here as well."

Harry gave an 'oh' of understanding. "I get it now," he said. "Why didn't you say it like that the first time?"

Draco just rolled his eyes.

Harry gave him an impish look. "How come you're so knowledgeable?"

"I read a book. You should try it sometimes."

"But that's so boring!"

Draco shook his head fondly. "Literary art is lost on you, Harry."

Suddenly Harry's lips broke out into a sweet smile. "Say it again," he said.

Draco gave him a questioning look. "Literary art is lost on you?"

"My name. Say it again."

He gave the excited boy another fond look. "Harry."

"Again!"

"Harry."

Harry smiled happily. "I love it when you say my name," he said.

Another round of goofy grinning.

"It would be a good time to kiss me now, Draco."

"We shouldn't just yet, Potter. We still need to have a proper discussion about everything this relationship entails…"

"Here's an idea. What if we don't worry about whatever comes next?"

"But - we haven't even had our first date yet! We should do that first, yes. That would be the proper thing to do."

"Come on, Draco! You're turning out to be a bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington."

"Buzz who? Wait, don't explain that to me just yet. Harry, if we do this now, I honestly don't know if I will be able to stop myself from going too far. Right now, I cannot even tell how far _is _too far."

"Oh my god, who the hell cares? Just kiss me already."

And then Harry jumped him.

This certainly wasn't Draco's first kiss. But without a doubt, it was the best yet.

There were no fireworks or butterflies. Instead, the kiss had only feelings. There was happiness and hope and excitement - the feeling of starting something new. It was full of life and emotion, just like his Harry.

There was no excited audience to cheer them on. The stars and the moonlight were their only companions.

It was everything and more.

Tomorrow, they'd face all the challenges that will inevitably come with the knowledge of their relationship. They would face prejudice, and judgement and hatred from all sides just because of who they were. They would have to fight for themselves - fight for the survival of their relationship.

When they step out of the tower tonight, it will be just them against the world.

But now, in this moment, nothing could be more perfect.

Above, all around them, the stars winked in agreement.

* * *

**January Writing Club Prompts**

**Challenge: Assorted Appreciation (Lush)**

**Prompt #11: Green Gold: Write a Slytherin/Gryffindor relationship (doesn't have to be romantic).**

**Prompt #16: Like a Virgin: Word - heartbeat**

**Prompt #25: Shooting Stars: Write about someone seeing a shooting star in the sky.**

**Challenge: Disney Challenge (The Princess and the Frog)**

**Prompt #3: Dialogue: "I was beginning to think wishing on stars was just for babies and crazy people…"**

**Challenge: Trope of the Month (Jailed January - Locked In)**

**Prompt #5: Word: Connection**

**Prompt #13: Dialogue: "What aren't you telling me?"**

**Challenge: The Fabulous World of Comics (The Walking Dead Comics)**

**Prompt #14: Character: Harry Potter**

**Prompt #22: Plot point: Beginning a relationship of either a sexual nature or a dating nature.**

**Prompt #28: Trope: Friends to Lovers**

**Challenge: Book Club (Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas)**

**Prompt #3: Dorian Havilliard: (word) wealth; (character) Draco Malfoy; (genre) romance.**

**Challenge: Showtime (Story Of My Life)**

**Prompt #9: Independence Day: (restriction) a fic set within 24 hours.**

**Challenge: Amber's Attic (Good Goddess!)**

**Prompt #23: Nike: Write about someone who is successful in an endeavor.**

**Challenge: Lizzy's Loft (The Good Place)**

**Prompt #19: Dialogue: "Here's an idea. What if we don't worry about whatever comes next?"**

**Challenge: Elizabeth's Empire (Merlin)**

**Prompt #13: "You think this is funny."/ "...Moderately."**

**Prompt #17: "How come you're so knowledgeable?"/ "I read a book."**

**Challenge: Scamander's Case (Pukwudgie)**

**Prompt #14: (phrase) wearing your heart on your sleeve**

**Challenge: Bex's Basement (Family Guy)**

**Prompt #15: Dialogue: "You're turning out to be a bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington."**

**Prompt #18: "Oh my god, who the hell cares!"**

**Challenge: Film Festival (Goodfellas)**

**Prompt #19: Word: Funny**

**Prompt #22: Word: Paranoid**

**Challenge: Lyric Alley (Creep by Radiohead)**

**Prompt #3: You're just like an angel**

**Prompt #6: In a beautiful world**


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